exhibit-E’s new iPad app, pioneering gallery art management

by leslierankowfinearts

exhibit-E HAS CERTAINLY EARNED ITS REPUTATION AS THE WEB DESIGN FIRM FOR ALL ART-RELATED BUSINESSES AND NEEDS AND ITS MOST RECENT CONTRIBUTION, galleryManager, ADDS TO ITS UNPARALLELED COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE THE BEST DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY TO THE ART WORLD. exhibit-E’s galleryManager IS WEB-BASED RATHER THAN DEPENDENT ON LOCAL SERVERS, ADDITIONAL HARD DRIVES OR SOFTWARE AND IS ONE OF THE FIRST SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS TO LOOK AT GALLERY AND COLLECTION MANAGEMENT EXCLUSIVELY FROM A WEB PERSPECTIVE. IT IS NOT A WEB ADD-ON TO A DESKTOP PROGRAM; IT IS PURE ONLINE INVENTORY AND COLLECTION MANAGEMENT, ACCESSED ENTIRELY THROUGH A WEB BROWSER AND PROGRAMMED WITH THE LATEST IN SECURE WEBSITE TECHNOLOGY. SINCE THE CORE OF ALL ART-RELATED BUSINESSES, IN OUR 2.0 TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY, A WORLD IN WHICH I VERY HAPPILY RESIDE, ARE ITS HOLDINGS, IT IS CRUCIAL THAT A GALLERY, ART INSTITUTION OR PRIVATE COLLECTION OF ART, ANTIQUES OR COLLECTIBLES HAS A 2.0 SYSTEM THAT IS TRULY COMPLETE, IMPECCABLY FUNCTIONAL AND EFFICIENT. FINDING A SYSTEM THAT IS BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED AND VIRTUALLY SELF-EXPLANATORY WAS THE GOAL AND IS THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF exhibit-E’s galleryManager. http://www.exhibit-e.com

IN TODAY’S LRFA BLOG, WE WILL FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS INNOVATIVE SYSTEM.

IN THE INTRODUCTION TO exhibit-E’s NEW BOOK, “THE ART WORLD AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB”, FOUNDER AND DESIGN INNOVATOR DAN MILLER POSES THIS QUESTION ABOUT GALLERY MANAGEMENT ON THE WEB.

Over the years, many gallerists have asked themselves, “If I can manage my website and email online, why can’t I manage my gallery’s inventory the same way?” They have the answer they’ve been hoping for, as web-based gallery management is now available from exhibit-E in the form of a new product called galleryManager. Accessible anytime and anywhere, web-based gallery management lifts a huge weight off the shoulders of galleries that have had to worry about the safety and reliability of inventory on local servers and extra hard drives, a benefit anyone who lived through Hurricane Sandy can appreciate.

“THE ART WORLD AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB IS A GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE 2.0 ART WORLD, IDENTIFYING KEY STRATEGIES AND INSIGHTS FOR GALLERIES TO CONSIDER AS THEY CREATE AND MANAGE THEIR OWN WEBSITES WITH INTERVIEWS WITH GALLERISTS AND ARTISTS ON HOW BEST THEY DEFINE THEIR WEB PRESENCE. http://www.exhibit-e.com/news/book.

THE BOOK’S INTERVIEW WITH BILLY MAKER, galleryManager’s SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, AND DAN MILLER, PROVIDES VERY HELPFUL INFORMATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS IMPORTANT NEW PRODUCT AS DOES THE VIDEO “GETTING STARTED”. http://www.gallerymanager.com/support/40

Where did the idea for this product come from?

We felt we could reduce the headaches that we found many of our clients experience with their old inventory management software. Knowing that their software wasn’t a natural tool, we knew we could make a big contribution. The more we looked into it, the more we found that everyone wanted something that was easier to use, something that didn’t require taking courses to understand, and something that eliminated the need for an in-house server. We realized we had the capabilities to do all that and seamlessly integrate with their websites. So it made sense for us to do this.

You guys are known primarily as a design company, as a Web-design company. Has it been a challenge to have your clients think of you in a different way?

The gallery inventory-management systems that are already out there come from the technology end of things—trying to force good design on top of the offerings. We’re coming from the opposite end; we’re starting with great design and a good user interface in terms of how both our website and our admin pages function. We understand that really well, so we’re able to hide the complexity of the websites and the admin areas to the point where it’s so amazingly easy to teach someone how to use one of our website admins — people don’t even really think of it as a technology product. Our approach for galleryManager has been the same—the system was designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. Galleries don’t want to be bothered by tools or be hindered by the technology. They just want to get the job done. They want to be efficient and effective for their clients and their artists, and that’s what our focus has always been.

How do you see this product being used? Is this going to become the hub of the gallery? By default, any inventory-management system will be at the center of the administrative hub of a gallery, whether it’s ArtBase, Art Systems, or some other system. But we are takingit a step further in terms of ease of use. Initially, galleries may replace their old inventory systems that are out there now. They might even be moving up from using Excel, or just having file folders filled with images or whatnot. They’ll now be able to store hi-res photos of artworks, contacts of people, invoices, and things like that, all in the same place. If they already have an exhibit-E website, they will be able to integrate it with galleryManager.

Has it been difficult for you to get your head around things like accounting and inventory and other administrative functions, the kinds of things that galleries use the existing programs for?

The challenge hasn’t been getting our head around these things. It has been to develop the features that galleries will use across the board. Since galleryManager is a software-as- a-service [SaaS] platform, we can be very responsive to the galleries’ needs. Our approach has been to gather information from the galleries to make sure that whatever we do is beneficial and useful to everyone. That has been the advantage of having so many eager beta users. They have been providing us with so much valuable feedback and suggestions. And we have put all of the best ideas back into the system.

IN OUR NEXT BLOG, BILLY AND DAN INFORM US ON THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF GALLERY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.